Fatherhood Makes You Fat Says Science

The American Journal of Men’s Health has issued a report that says fatherhood makes men fatter than their childless peers. More than 10,000 men were tracked from adolescence to their 30s, with studies showing the fathers among the group had significantly higher BMI.

Dads who lived with their children put on roughly 2kg (4.4lbs) after their first child was born, with non-resident fathers putting on slightly less. The smug gits with no kids and plenty of time to preen themselves in the gym lost 0.6kg (1.4lb). Given the recent press given to the dad bod, this news seems fairly fitting.

Lack of time is given as a possible reason for the results, with a tendency to snack on children’s leftovers also cited. As it happens, Elsa was not the greatest sleeper in the early days so I spent many hours pushing the pram around our fairly hilly village, losing about a stone in the process. Of course that has all piled on again since but, as short-term fad diets go, having a baby was an extreme, if effective one.